Poland’s conservative opposition has thrown its weight behind Hungary’s decision to grant asylum to former Deputy Justice Minister Marcin Romanowski, accusing Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government of weaponizing the justice system for political revenge.
Hungary’s move sparked praise from opposition leaders, who framed it as a necessary response to alleged abuses of power by Tusk’s administration. They claim Romanowski’s legal troubles stem from partisan motivations rather than legitimate justice.
Zbigniew Ziobro, Poland’s former Justice Minister, lambasted the Tusk government, alleging it orchestrated a politically charged campaign against Romanowski. He accused the administration of compromising the judiciary, pointing to alleged dismissals of key legal officials, which he argued deprived Romanowski of a fair trial. “Hungary’s decision exposes the Tusk government’s disdain for the rule of law and its use of the justice system to target political adversaries,” Ziobro asserted.
In a biting remark, Ziobro added, “The mask of neo-rule of law has fallen. Poland is officially like Belarus.”
Romanowski’s lawyer, Bartosz Lewandowski, revealed Hungary granted asylum under its 2007 Asylum Act, citing Poland’s alleged violations of Romanowski’s rights and freedoms. Notably, this marks the first instance of an EU member state granting asylum to a Polish politician since the communist era.
Hungary’s decision has amplified tensions between Budapest and Warsaw, with opposition leaders using the incident to highlight what they see as the Tusk government’s erosion of democratic norms.
